Bill Richardson.(DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE)(Biography)

"Congress must ... pass a bill with a strong renewable electricity standard (RES), increased vehicle fuel economy standards, tax credit extensions for renewable energy production and solar investment."--B. Richardson

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On October 12, 2007, the day Al Gore was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Bill Richardson, the Democratic governor of New Mexico, promptly congratulated and thanked Gore for his efforts to alert the world to the threat of global warming. According to his website, Richardson, like Gore, believes that global warming will lead to conflicts over scarce resources. And, like Gore, he believes government intervention is necessary to save the planet. In fact, more government seems to be Governor Richardson's preferred solution to most problems.

The solution to the "crisis" created by climate change, according to Richardson, is a "new energy revolution." He proposes that by the year 2020 demand for oil should be reduced by 50 percent, "in part by getting the 100 mile per gallon (mpg) car into the marketplace." This would be made possible by mandating an increase in the federal CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standard to 50 mpg. He also proposes to radically increase the amount of renewable energy in America's energy portfolio to 50 percent by 2040.

Richardson's energy policy would likely lead to energy shortages because renewable energy is inherently inefficient. But he has a solution for this, too. This time, it comes in the form of radically reducing greenhouse gases and, consequently, the industries that produce them. On his website, he states that his energy plan would cut emissions 20 percent by 2020, 80 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050. Such cuts would drive many industries out of business, reducing U.S. energy demand.

As president, Bill Richardson would bear a heavy burden with regard to national security. Unfortunately, the serious security breaches that occurred at the nation's most sensitive energy labs under his tenure as Energy Secretary do not suggest that national security would be enhanced by a Richardson presidency.

In 2000, CNN noted: "The safety of weapons secrets has dogged Richardson for much of his tenure as Energy Secretary." One of the most notorious and troubling breaches to occur under his leadership happened at Los Alamos National Laboratory when Wen Ho Lee allegedly transferred sensitive nuclear weapons technology to communist China. Even though Lee was accused ...